Share This Story!

Overrated tourist traps to miss

Stonehenge, England: This group of mystery stones has been described as mystical and magical. But what you rarely see in the postcards is that Stonehenge is wedged between two very busy roads—and that you're not even allowed to get close to the stones. You'll pay an admission fee, of course, but you'll only be able to view the site from afar. (Tourists used to chip off pieces of the ancient rocks as souvenirs. This is why we can't have nice things, people.)

Post to Facebook

{#
#}

CancelSend

Sent!

A link has been sent to your friend's email address.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

1

Join the Nation's Conversation

Overrated tourist traps to miss

Stonehenge, England: This group of mystery stones has been described as mystical and magical. But what you rarely see in the postcards is that Stonehenge is wedged between two very busy roads—and that you're not even allowed to get close to the stones. You'll pay an admission fee, of course, but you'll only be able to view the site from afar. (Tourists used to chip off pieces of the ancient rocks as souvenirs. This is why we can't have nice things, people.) Dave Caulkin, AP

Blarney Stone, Ireland: Legend has it that kissing this rock will give you the gift of gab, but judging by how many people smooch the stone every day, we think you're more likely to come away with a communicable disease. (Especially if you believe the rumor that locals think it's funny to sneak in after-hours and use the Blarney Stone as a bathroom.) You'll also have to brave long lines and a vertigo-inducing climb, and you'll be unceremoniously tipped backwards and headfirst over a ledge by a worker in order to get your peck. AP

Pyramids at the Giza Necropolis, Egypt: If you're expecting a journey out to the quiet desert to see this world-famous wonder, think again. Located in a suburb not far from downtown Cairo, the pyramids are set against the backdrop of a Pizza Hut, a KFC, and a ton of litter. Be prepared to be surrounded by some of the most aggressive touts in the world, some of whom will literally jump into a moving taxi to try to sell you a camel ride. You also can't touch the Sphinx or climb up the sides of the pyramids anymore. Nariman El-Mofty, AP

Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy: After you've taken the obligatory photos "pushing over" the tower (and accidentally photo-bombed the background of many strangers' photos), there's not much to do here except be hounded by the many hawkers who patrol the area. It's a long journey, especially if you're coming all the way from Rome, just to see that the tower does, in fact, live up to its name. Alexander Hassenstein, Getty Images

Prague Astronomical Clock, Czech Republic: Sure, it's the oldest working astronomical clock in the world. But unless your idea of a good time is staring at a giant glorified cuckoo clock while being jostled by fellow tourists, there's not much else to recommend it. If you must see it, be sure to time it so that you arrive right as the show is starting (every hour on the hour), so you don't have to waste 50 minutes standing around staring at the clock, waiting for it to perform. Medioimages/Photodisc Getty Images

Times Square, New York: Flashing advertisements, obnoxious peddlers selling knockoff DVDs, chain restaurants, and hordes of lost tourists looking at maps await you in the five famed blocks of Times Square. Residents of the city go out of their way to avoid this area where personal space goes to die. We'll never understand why visitors travel all the way to New York City to buy grocery-store candy at the M&M's World store, dine at an Olive Garden, and gawk at billboards. altrendo travel, Getty Images

If you're reading this, you clearly have access to the Internet. So why not just Google famous people's names instead of traveling to see those names etched into a sidewalk? Plus Hollywood visitors are often shocked by the seedy streets filled with hustlers in superhero costumes trying to sell photos to tourists. Reed Saxon, AP

Manneken Pis, Belgium: Yes, the name of this statue in Brussels pretty much translates to "Little Man Pee." No, we don't know why tourists flock to look at a statue of a naked child peeing. If you insist on going, time your visit for when the statue has been dressed up by a city employee—you'll feel a little less like a creep. (Or come during one of the occasions when the fountain's water is replaced with a keg of beer, so you can at least get a free drink out of it.) Getty Images/Brand X

The Little Mermaid, Denmark: This famous sculpture in Copenhagen, based on the fairy tale, is actually a copy. The real statue is kept at an undisclosed location, which is probably for the best since the replica has been defaced, vandalized, decapitated, and blasted with explosives. Pay a better tribute to the author by visiting the Hans Christian Andersen statue in New York's Central Park, where you can climb on the sculpture for photos. Khan Tariq Mikkel, AP